Delta's Customer Elimination Strategy
Glindy and I took what is, hopefully,
our last trip on Delta on Friday. Despite repeated calls to Delta's
customer service line, Delta (as a company) steadfastly refuses to
streamline or improve their horrific accommodative seating
practices.
Apparently, forcing disabled frequent-fliers to wait on hold
upwards of 45 minutes per call, and involving at least two levels
of support, is "business as usual" at Delta. Imagine having to go
through this every single week!
To add insult to injury, requesting accommodative seating on Delta
ensures that you will have to wait in long lines at the airport
ticket counter; their system for accommodative seating makes you
ineligible for kiosk check-in. Even if you jump through all of
those hoops, Delta's system still doesn't transfer the necessary
information down to the regional jets they operate. This ensures
that you'll have to make special requests, in person, at every gate
on every segment of your journey.
Delta customer service sees nothing wrong with the system. In fact,
they are so sure the system is perfect that you can't escalate
problems beyond the second level of their call centers under any
circumstances. The folks over at
IS Survivor call this "customer
elimination management." Delta has certainly managed to eliminate
me as a customer.